Benefits and Limitations of Remote Work to LGBTQIA+ Software Professionals

Background. Recent studies advocate for remote structures to create opportunities for many equity-deserving groups; however, remote work can also be challenging for some individuals, such as women and individuals with disabilities. As the discussions on equity, diversity, and inclusion increase in software engineering, it is important to explore the realities and perspectives of different equity-deserving groups to develop strategies that can support them post-pandemic. Objective. This study aims to investigate the effects of remote work on LGBTQIA+ software professionals. Method. A grounded theory approach was applied based on information collected from two main sources: a survey questionnaire with a sample of 57 LGBTQIA+ software professionals and nine follow-up interviews with individuals from this sample. Findings. Our findings demonstrate that (1) remote work benefits LGBTQIA+ people by increasing security and visibility; (2) remote work harms LGBTQIA+ software professionals through isolation and invisibility; (3) the benefits outweigh the drawbacks; (4) the drawbacks can be mitigated by supportive measures developed by software companies. Conclusion. This paper investigated how remote work can affect LGBTQIA+ software professionals and presented a set of recommendations on how software companies can address the benefits and limitations associated with this work model. In summary, we concluded that remote work has a crucial role in increasing diversity and inclusion in the software industry.